Police believe B.C. mom took 2 children 'off the grid' after alleged abduction

Investigators believe a Surrey, B.C., mom preplanned the alleged abduction of her two children and has moved "off the grid" with them, her boyfriend and her father, according to RCMP.

The new details about the search for the two children were released Monday, five days after an Amber Alert was issued because of their disappearance.

The motheris suspected of abducting the children since she failed to return them to their father after a planned vacation. Police say she is believed to be travelling with her boyfriend and her father.

According to Monday's RCMP update on the search, investigators have information suggesting the group is living in trailers in a rural area somewhere.

"The public is going to play a major role in locating [the children]," Sgt. Tammy Lobb said in an RCMP news release.

"We need the public to be alive to the information and photos we have shared and to be our eyes and ears and continue to call us with any tips and possible sightings."

Police say the mother met up with her father on June 30 at his home in Chilliwack, and he has not been back since. The grandfather has health problems and may seem confused or disoriented, the news release says.

The mother's boyfriend, who is from Nelson, is an outdoorsman with connections to the Deadman Valley and Vidette Lake areas, RCMP say, and he has a history of living "off the grid."

Police say they've received more than 180 tips about the children's whereabouts since the Amber Alert began last Wednesday. There have been no confirmed sightings of the children since July 7, when they were seen at a gas station in Merritt.

The last confirmed sighting of the mother was at a grocery store in Kamloops on July 15.

Surrey RCMP launched an Amber Alert for the two missing children on July 19.

Police said anyone who sees the truckor the children is advised not to approach them and immediately call 911.